Brexit: impact across policy areas
This House of Commons briefing paper looks at the current situation in a range of policy areas and considers what impact Brexit might have.
This will depend, among other things, on the Brexit negotiations, whether the UK stays in the European Economic Area and how the Government fills any policy gaps left by withdrawal.
Brexit could allow for change to the following areas, which are underpinned by EU law:
Employment Rights
- Annual leave
- Agency worker rights
- Part-time worker rights
- Fixed-term worker rights
- Health and safety obligations
- State-guaranteed payments upon an employer’s insolvency
- Collective redundancy rights
- Information and consultation rights
- The right to a written statement of terms and conditions
- Posted worker rights
- Paternity, maternity and parental leave
- Protection of employment upon the transfer of a business
- Anti-discrimination legislation
Transport
- Driver licensing and testing
The Blue Badge Scheme seems unlikely to be affected.
Human Rights
- The EU charter of Fundamental Rights would no longer apply – See our Human Rights Act Factsheet for more information about the charter
- The UK will replace the Human Rights Act with a Bill of Rights but the UK does not intend to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights - See our Human Rights Act Factsheet
Social Security
- The rights of EU/EEA workers to come to the UK
- The rights of EU/EEA nationals currently residing in the UK
- The rights of UK nationals living abroad in other EU/EEA countries (mostly in Spain, Ireland, France and Germany)
- The coordination of social security schemes for UK nationals abroad, including pensions
Social Housing
- The allocation of social housing to EU/EEA nationals
- The rights of EU/EEA nationals who already live in social housing
Health Care
- Reciprocal access to health care
- Restrictions on movement of EU/EEA nationals who are health care professionals
- Recognition/checking of qualifications of EU/EEA nationals who are health care professionals
- Regulation and authorisation of medicines
Higher Education
- Access to European student mobility schemes, such as Erasmus+
- The UK no longer being a signatory to the Bologna Declaration, which aims to harmonise Higher Education throughout Europe
- Access to European Research Funding
Devolved legislatures
If the UK leaves the EU there could be further policy and legislative divergence within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland